An Overview to Chaos Theory in Sociology

An Overview to Chaos Theory in Sociology Chaos theory is a field of study in mathematics; however, it has applications in several disciplines, including sociology and other social sciences. In the social sciences, chaos theory is the study of complex non-linear systems of social complexity. It is not about disorder but rather about very complicated systems of order. Nature, including some instances of social behavior and social systems, is highly complex, and the only prediction you can make is that it is unpredictable. Chaos theory looks at this unpredictability of nature and tries to make sense of it. Chaos theory aims to find the general order of social systems, and particularly social systems that are similar to each other. The assumption here is that the unpredictability in a system can be represented as overall behavior, which gives some amount of predictability, even when the system is unstable. Chaotic systems are not random systems. Chaotic systems have some kind of order, with an equation that determines overall behavior. The first chaos theorists discovered that complex systems often go through a kind of cycle, even though specific situations are rarely duplicated or repeated. For example, say there is a city of 10,000 people. In order to accommodate these people, a supermarket is built, two swimming pools are installed, a library is erected, and three churches go up. In this case, these accommodations please everybody and equilibrium is achieved. Then a company decides to open a factory on the outskirts of town, opening jobs for 10,000 more people. The town then expands to accommodate 20,000 people instead of 10,000. Another supermarket is added, as are two more swimming pools, another library, and three more churches. The equilibrium is thus maintained. Chaos theorists study this equilibrium, the factors that affect this type of cycle, and what happens (what the outcomes are) when the equilibrium is broken. Qualities of a Chaotic System A chaotic system has three simple defining features: Chaotic systems are deterministic. That is, they have some determining equation ruling their behavior.Chaotic systems are sensitive to initial conditions. Even a very slight change in the starting point can lead to significant different outcomes.Chaotic systems are not random, nor disorderly. Truly random systems are not chaotic. Rather, chaos has a send of order and pattern. Concepts There are several key terms and concepts used in chaos theory: Butterfly effect (also called sensitivity to initial conditions): The idea that even the slightest change in the starting point can lead to greatly different results or outcomes.Attractor: Equilibrium within the system. It represents a state to which a system finally settles.Strange attractor: A dynamic kind of equilibrium which represents some kind of trajectory upon which a system runs from situation to situation without ever settling down. Applications in Real-Life Chaos theory, which emerged in the 1970s, has impacted several aspects of real-life in its short life thus far and continues to impact all sciences. For instance, it has helped answer previously unsolvable problems in quantum mechanics and cosmology. It has also revolutionized the understanding of heart arrhythmias and brain function. Toys and games have also developed from chaos research, such as the Sim line of computer games (SimLife, SimCity, SimAnt, etc.).

A sociological perspective essays

A sociological perspective essays When a disaster befalls a society, inevitably the event becomes charged with emotional consequences of how one, or a community deals with the devesation of the situation. Behind the conseqences are reasonings that are able to justify the outcome of the event and gives it cause, context, content, and meaning. Disasters that occur within a cultural atmosphere can be classified into subsections: that of natural disaster, and of man made disaster; both posing as different problems, but resulting with the same degree of traumatic impressions left within a communitity. No one can calculate when these catastrophies will strike or when they are scheduled on the calendar, both forms of disaster are unpredictable and are able to catch civilizations completely off gaurd. They counteract the harmony and disturb the flow of societies, uprooting any means of establishment and community. In this paper I will asses a comparason between two major disasters in United States history. The disaster in 1976 at Buffalo Creek, in West Virginia, and a more well known disaster: The World Trade Center Bombing on September 11th, 2002. I will examin how two events, staged in completely different settings and with different stories, result in similar impacts within the cultures, harping on the negative consequences that scarred the lives of people who lived within these two seperate communities. It will examin these two traumas, one from the big city of New York, the ther from a little town in West Virginia, for the similiar insights they provide about the role that culture plays in the shaping of the experience of collective trauma, and the facilitation of recovery from these unexpected ruptures in social life In Buffalo Creek, Kai Erikson travells to this small area to investigate the sociological impact of the disasterous flood that took place in 1976. Erikson deals with the question of what happens to a community when it is faced with the conse...

Theme Park Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Theme Park Management - Assignment Example The maximum number of tourists are from Germany (about 50 percent), with Switzerland contributing 22 percent and France, a close second, with 18 percent. The rest 10 percent constitute visitors from other countries. Given these facts, the researcher has attempted to find out if the planning process of the theme park laid any stress on sustainable development of the local community. The research, therefore, aimed at evaluating to what extent the local residents were involved in the planning process of the park, both then and now, and the perspective of the local residents and stakeholders about their involvement, again both then and now. The researcher has used a positivistic research philosophy with a mainly deductive research approach, to establish the research objectives. Primary research (interviews, questionnaire) and secondary research (review of travel literature) were used for the project. The logic employed was that since the number of people was relatively large, a quantitative approach was employed. Though the researcher has not excluded the importance of qualitative research and in fact has included few interviews in trying to establish the aim of the project. In every research it is important to know about the research approach, how the data was collected and analysed, as the results of the research will vary accordingly. (Language Center. Writing up Research Method and Research Design.) For example, if the efficiency of the voting system in a democracy has to be determined and if a questionnaire survey is being provided to the people across the country, then it is a much better approach than randomly interviewing people. Two factors, one the huge base and the second sectional bias and prejudice will affect the results of the interviews. However, if the questionnaire has options marked as excellent, very good and good, then it gives no option to the respondent to answer in the negative. Hence, though the quantitative research method would be the best suited, it may lead to wrong conclusions, because the questions did not have exhaustive options. What is generally agreed on is that there is no 'perfect' research method. Data collection, however, is best representative when both quantitative and qualitative data is collected. So, interviews, which tell the 'inside story' is essential to understand the analysis. (Carter McNamara, Copyright 1997-2008.) In whatever which way the data is collected, analysis is best when the process starts working backward that is from the research goals. Starting this way, helps to streamline the thought, organise the data and focus on the analysis. In the Europapark project, though the aim was to determine the involvement of the local community in the initial as well as the present planning and implementation of the theme park project, the research objectives were fragmented into: Determining tourist attraction in a theme park and ways in which the local community can be involved in the project. Identifying the actual involvement of the local community in the planning process, in the design phase and in the current period. Determining the local community's perception of their involvement in the

Educating High School Students About The Importance Of Contraceptives Research Paper

Educating High School Students About The Importance Of Contraceptives - Research Paper Example Providing sexual education to high school students on the significant of using contraceptives is crucial because it is one way of maintaining their health. The health of students is essential because it will enable students to study well in schools without any health complications. Earlier pregnancy to students may lead to health risks especially to young mothers. The research study indicates that a woman is supposed to start giving birth at least when she is more than 18 years old, but about 15 million teenagers bear children when they have not yet reached the required child bearing age. This poses a health risks to them, and the risk to younger mothers is higher than the risk to the mother above 25 to 25 years. For example, the maternal mortality rate for teenagers between 13 to 16 years of age is three times higher than females in their earlier or late twenties. Distributing and educating high school students on the significant of contraceptives will reduce the sexually transmitte d diseases such as HIV/ AIDS and other diseases. STDs pose dangerous threats notably to sexually active students. Most of the high school students are sexually active because of physical changes and peer group influences from their friends. Many of them do not understand the significant and the way of protecting themselves from unwanted pregnancies and STDs. Many societies are frown on issues of premarital sex; thus most high school students may feel ashamed or embarrassed in case they make efforts of seeking help about the use of contraceptives. Therefore, increasing awareness through educating students on the significant of health reproductive and HIV/ AIDS prevention is crucial (Hartman, Monasterio, and Hwang (233). For instance, the school my introduce this programs as school curriculum or provide mass education activities at least once in a month to all students. This is vital because it will raise awareness and enable students to engage in safe sexual intercourse. Sex educatio n on the use of contraceptives is one way through which students become aware of the problems associated with unwanted pregnancies and STDs. Distributing contraceptives such as condoms and educating students on having safe sex is vital. This is because it will enable students to make healthy sexual decisions. Many parents ignore to offer guidance and counseling or teach their teenagers on the importance of using contraceptives because of fear and believe that they will encourage sexual behaviors to their children (Bruess and Jerrold 314). However, educating teenagers on the importance of having safe sex is essential because high schools students already know about sex. For instance, the increased technological advancement especially media and Internet have exposed many teenagers to various sexual behaviors. Therefore, they know everything about sex;

American history - essay - about The Black Cat Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American history - - about The Black Cat - Essay Example My interaction with the narrator as his pet was awesome at first. The fact that I was following him step by step means that we were compatible in various aspects. It felt good when I was being favored through exclusion from harassment while others in the house were being mistreated (Poe and Andrewasine 79). Being singled out when others were being mistreated always gave me a reason to stick to the narrator. It also strengthened the instincts between us. I felt special by being singled out among the pets that he had and even introduced me to his wife as his favorite pet of all. Our relationship, however, was mysterious and also supernatural in nature an element that was also evident in the gothic genre. The emotions of the narrator, however, ruined the friendship that was in existence and our sound interaction changed drastically to become sour. The person I was always comfortable when we were together became the person I was to run from. The drunkenness changed the narrator I knew to someone close to a murderer (Poe and Andrewasine 76). It was unbelievable to see him attacking me and even plucking one of my eyes irrespective of our cordial relationship that had been in existence. This interaction taught enlightened me that people changes and there have been something sinister with the narrator. It is weird for a close ally to become a monster within a very short time frame. The monstrous aspect resembles the gothic set up aspect and element. With such mistreatments, it was evident that the best way of living with the narrator is avoiding him. However, this interaction created dilemma in my life on the best mode of living that would assure me of survival. This is because after he perceived that I was avoiding him he plucked one of my eyes (Bloomfield 249). On the other hand, it is very insecure to stay close to such a person. However, it was unbelievable seeing the narrator holding me in a manner that

Religious Views on Right to Die

Religious Views on Right to Die Julian Martin Public Policy: Right to Die The right to die is one of the most controversial topics addressed by government that has been interpreted into the state laws that have either debated the right or allowed it, however recently with the â€Å"Gonzales vs. Oregon† case where instead of the case being on constitutional grounds where it conflicts with the right of life, was put mainly on administrative law grounds which was shocking for many people. It helped reestablish the power of the â€Å"Death with Dignity Act†, which allows anyone who has a terminal disease to have the permission through voluntary help from a physician to be given lethal medications. The idea of ending someone’s life out of mercy for them with their permission has always been an idea that seems very favorable to those who know they will die and don’t want to suffer, but also of issue to other people especially concerning their religion. Some diseases such as several forms of cancer, Ebola, Creutzfeldt-jakob, AIDS, and others all have a form of pain it inflicts on people either cognitively or through actual unbearable pain that puts into the idea of allowing people to be able to kill themselves civilly and with dignity rather than have them suffer extensively and prolonging the inevitable. Most states, however, see the matter differently and do not allow for terminal patients to kill themselves through the careful attention of a physician who would administer the medications to them, for most argue that it conflicts with the freedom of life as it is protected through the first amendment of the constitution, and although many bills every year pass to enact the right to die in other states, most never are passed. Religion also comes into play when arguing to make the right to die nationwide as it conflicts according to parts of some religions. Christianity and Catholicism both recognize suicide as a form of sin and although it is assisted and done through careful procedures administered from physicians, it is mostly still seen as wrong through most church’s and Christian’s and Catholic’s views. Hinduism has varying points of view on assisted dying as they say it conflicts with the body and soul separating at separate times, along with it affecting both the doctor’s and the patients karma. Some religions, however, are actually very tolerant with the right and actually try to advocate for it to passed as a law, for example, Methodists recognize the right to die as a form of the individual’s freedom, Unitarian Universalists see it as the right of self-determination and allow it, and Evangelical believe it as a moral thing to do, so while most major religions wo uld not normally approve, other religions recognize it through morals. Rabbi Yitzchok Breitowitz also reveals the Jewish standing on the right to die and stresses that, the preservation of life, also known as pikuach nefesh in the Torah, is a very important thing that passes up basically all other commandments of the Torah. Breitowitz also explains that because as a Jewish belief, they believe in the soul rather than just the body, because they see the body as just a vessel for the person’s true spiritual essence. Judaism doesn’t accept the notion of sustaining life for longer than a human should be alive, because Judaism attempts to try and find a balance between the great mitzvah of prolonging life and the recognition that life may be unbearable or difficult as it’s said in the Torah. The Torah also states that the body and the life a person is not our own to do whatever with and with that, have no moral right to kill or hurt anyone else, or to hurt, kill, maim authorize another person to do those things to the person. Frank Pavone, the international Director for the organization â€Å"priests for life† states the Christian view on the right to die comes from the idea that their life is not truly there’s to own, including their death. Pavone states that although the body is in a sense the person’s possession as it was given to them by God, it is still not their body alone as they are not the source of their own existence and is accountable for it to God. With not truly owning the body, Christians do not have the right to claim they have a right to die because a right is a moral claim and that there is no claim on death, rather it has a claim on them and that to this idea, Christians don’t have the authority to prolong their life. Damien Keown, a professor of Buddhist ethics at Goldsmiths College in the University of London, expresses the Buddhist’s stand on the right to die and whether it should be legalized or not by stating that Buddhists generally oppose assisted suicide and euthanasia. This is due to the teachings that show the person that it is morally wrong to destroy human life, including one’s own, even if the intentians are just by attempting to end suffering, insteasd they are taught to have a great respect for life in general even if it is not being lived in an optimal way and by helping another or giving the authorization or being killed in a humane way, it affects both the doctor’s and the patients karma. Buddhists also believe that life really has no reason to be extended further than is required and that one should not go to any extrodinary lengths to try and preserve the life as all that matters is the spirit being in line with life and sustaining good morals and having go od karma. Ayman Shabana, a member of the Islamic Legal Studies Program at Harvard Law School, shows the Islamic point of view on rejecting the legalizing of the right to die by stating that the Islamic teachings condemn the idea physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia because Islam Teaches the idea that God alone and determines how long someone should live and when they should die, which leads to a general reluctance that any kind of idea to end life prematurely because it’s believed by many islams that those decisions should only be held only in the hands of God. The stand on the right to die is also influenced greatly by the belief that the suffering a terminal patient goes through is beneficial as there is a notion that the person has no idea whats good for them or not which leads to the traditional idea of the suffering viewed as a test of fate. The United Church of Christ, however, is one of the few minorities that support the passing of the right to die to be in all states, because according to Reverend Timothy Tutt, the senior minister at Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ, they are taught to believe that each and every single person approaches God on their own terms, including the end of life. Despite the minority groups and religions that do support the right to die as both a moral idea and decision, many major religions do not agree with the passing of any bill that would allow this method of death as it would violate their First Amendment right of religion and until the day that major religions such as Christianity or Judaism accept the idea, the right to die will never be seen in any other states other than the few that have already passed it.

The World of Sweatshops Essay -- Informative Essays

It is close to 100 degrees; it has been at least ten hours since the last break. The woman working next to you severed her finger on the machine today, and the wage for one day of working will not be enough to buy a decent meal. How thrilling does it sound to work in a sweatshop? This is the only option for most women and children working in the third world, to support their family’s needs. There is very little, if anything being done to resolve this shocking situation. No person should be exposed to this type of work atmosphere. Sweatshops are inhumane working environments. Women and children are most often the ones affected by the cruelty of sweatshops. Child laborers in most countries serve to support their families to maintain the ordinary standard of living (Hartman). In third world countries, it is, in a sense, customary for children to do the bulk of the work to support their families. Women and children had to work in sweatshops to support their families (Olson, Wladaver-Morgan 525). When families immigrated to the United States, there were not many jobs to be had; their only choice for survival was for the women and the children of the family to work in sweatshops for bare minimum wages. Women and children are most closely associated with the abuses of sweatshops. Wages for women and children in sweatshops are far from reasonable. Women and children always seem to suffer the worst effects in this work industry. According to Enderle, â€Å"Firms that practice child labor tend to stunt the children’s growth and they preclude their developing and rudimentary skills learned in grade school so they can get decent jobs when they are adults and lead fulfilling lives† (274). Children that are working in sweatshops are not de... ...ed a â€Å"real† solution, but chances of this are slim. Works Cited Enderle, Georges. International Business Ethics. Notre Dame, Indiana: The University of Notre Dame Press. 1999. Hartman, Laura Pincus. â€Å"The Ethical Challenge of Global Labor Standards.† Journal of Employment Discrimination Law 2.1 (winter 2000) 77. Business Source Premier. EBSCO. Roesch Library, Dayton. 16 Oct. 2002. . Moran, Theodore H. Beyond Sweatshops. Washington D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2002. Olson, James S., and Susan Wladaver-Morgan. Dictionary of United States Economic History. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press, 1992. 523-524. Wangel, Arne. â€Å"Work Hazards and Safety Organization in the Third World.† Acta Sociologica 31.4 (1988) 343-349. Business Source Premier. EBSCO. Roesch Library, Dayton. 16 Oct. 2002. .

Hospitality Course

The hospitality industry is one area where a large number of managers and chefs have become entrepreneurs and successful owners of their own businesses. Being a futuristic person I handle things with great patience, which is the main positive sign that strongly relates me to this esteemed industry. A constant learning process would lead me to improvise on the professional skills required to survive in this field. Over the years, I see potentials for learning in every situation I find myself. The greatest motivation for me in applying for the Advance Diploma program in ‘hospitality and tourism operations management' is the opportunity it presents me to get exposed to the travel and tourism sector which is highly associated with the hospitality industry. This sector has grown leaps and bounds over the years and has promising growth potential. I believe that this Advance Diploma course will help me to achieve my ultimate goal, which is to develop myself to establish a career as a manager of a big concern or become an entrepreneur. To fulfill this goal however, I must develop my knowledge required to pilot major problems in this industry and learn to solve complex issues through an integrated approach. The hotelier must have a love for humanity, for humans show their worst side when they are tired and hungry. Being gracious to guests as well as to associates, shows a mastery of the art of hospitality. All these positive efforts had given me great exposure to the core areas of management in terms of all the four major departments – food and beverage, front office, food production and housekeeping to run and expand hotel business in this competitive world you need to have thorough knowledge of management as well. It will be an interesting work place where each day offers new challenges with never a dull moment, thereby making it extremely enjoyable. The industry offers a well rounded personality development for the individual and although there is glamour and show business, there are also a lot of hard work and long hours as well. I have demonstrated capacity and a unique ability in me to thrive in the midst of challenges. I believe this attitude would be of help particularly when real-life work challenges are presented and discussed. MY AIM: Business has come to me from my family. It has always fascinated me from my childhood. It’s my dream as well as aim too to open a chain of restaurants in famous cities at the world level as because working at 5-star hotels, luxurious resorts, restaurants, clubs, on cruise lines, and more are always there in my imagination of work. And hence to full fill my objective and to quench my thirst for knowledge, diploma studies in hotel management will definitely help me keep up-to-date with the fast moving world. PREFERENCE FOR HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT: Keen interest in hotel management right from my teen age inspired me to develop my career for the same. The Diploma in hospitality management course taught at Georgian College, Canada, which provides a launch pad for progression to the hotel and resort Business in India. All business is competitive; companies and organization are striving to maximize the return on the application of their limited resources. To make more profit, to gain market share or to position themselves as being the no. 1 company in their field, whatever their objectives they will only be achieved by the application of sound management. PREFERENCE FOR CANADA: The world of today, as we know is a tough world Expertise and specialization are of great demands in today’s era of competition. International exposure, study in depth and practical experience in the field of hotel management are the most important factors for a student’s career and above all education from developed and advance country in the world, where the latest and most advance equipment facilities and opportunities for learning and acquiring detailed knowledge in a systematic way are available, which is not the case in other country. I feel CANADA is the pioneer and best place to full fill this requirement as all the latest trends are almost always seen emerging from this part of the globe and the rest of the world seems to follow suit, main view of the aforesaid background, I have found the course at Georgian college most existing, interesting and ideally suited to my requirements and ambitions. I look forward to have a meaningful tenure, which would help me launch a successful career. To conclude with a wide range of interests but definite goals, I am attracted to the advance diploma program at Georgian College which would suit me well and offer me perfect academic environment. It would be a great privilege if I am granted the opportunity to pursue my graduate studies at your reputed institution and I am quite confident that I will match the high standards set by your college.

Free Essays on Whats Eating Gilbert Grape

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is a controversial film that many viewers can relate to, the living situation is upsetting and the acting in the film is touching. The film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is a film everyone should see for a number of reasons, first the film contains useful information viewers shouldn’t miss, next because the characters and their situations are much like real life, viewers can often relate. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is a controversial film that touches many issues, viewers can often relate to the sensitive subjects. An example is having a loved one that is mentally challenged, while trying to maintain a healthy life. Arnie the mentally challenged youngest brother of the family was taken care of by his older brother Gilbert, although the responsibility was often hard and overwhelming. For example many times Arnie would climb to the top of the water tower if not constantly watched. Gilbert had a lot of responsibility and was waiting to explode considering Gilberts mother left all responsibility to him while she became a â€Å"beached whale† as Gilbert would put it. Gilbert was often ashamed of his mother. A good example of Gilbert exploding would be when Gilbert almost ran his youngest sister over for giving him the middle finger. The film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is a good example of showing how others can be deprived or held back from the world considering, Gilbert and his family came from a town where not many people came around, and small things in life were appreciated for example, the sunsets or watching the campers as they come through their town. The Grapes were living a bored life with no change, but this would soon turn around. The living situation in the film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is disturbing, although many viewers may relate. The motherly tasks have all been placed on Gilberts shoulders like the shopping, cleaning, working, and most impor... Free Essays on Whats Eating Gilbert Grape Free Essays on Whats Eating Gilbert Grape What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is a controversial film that many viewers can relate to, the living situation is upsetting and the acting in the film is touching. The film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is a film everyone should see for a number of reasons, first the film contains useful information viewers shouldn’t miss, next because the characters and their situations are much like real life, viewers can often relate. What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is a controversial film that touches many issues, viewers can often relate to the sensitive subjects. An example is having a loved one that is mentally challenged, while trying to maintain a healthy life. Arnie the mentally challenged youngest brother of the family was taken care of by his older brother Gilbert, although the responsibility was often hard and overwhelming. For example many times Arnie would climb to the top of the water tower if not constantly watched. Gilbert had a lot of responsibility and was waiting to explode considering Gilberts mother left all responsibility to him while she became a â€Å"beached whale† as Gilbert would put it. Gilbert was often ashamed of his mother. A good example of Gilbert exploding would be when Gilbert almost ran his youngest sister over for giving him the middle finger. The film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is a good example of showing how others can be deprived or held back from the world considering, Gilbert and his family came from a town where not many people came around, and small things in life were appreciated for example, the sunsets or watching the campers as they come through their town. The Grapes were living a bored life with no change, but this would soon turn around. The living situation in the film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is disturbing, although many viewers may relate. The motherly tasks have all been placed on Gilberts shoulders like the shopping, cleaning, working, and most impor...

Hope Against Racism essays

Hope Against Racism essays He was a white man in a Confederate flag T-shirt come to a rally of the Ku Klux Klan. She was a face in the crowd, a black teen-ager who wanted to ``verbally harass him.'' But the crowd became a mob. They descended upon him, pummeled him to the ground, started stomping him with their feet and hitting him with signposts. And Keshia Thomas faced a decision: to join the mob or to be a human being. This was Keshia's choice: She fell atop the prostrate man, used her body to shield him from the blows. Ask why she did it and she says, ``I was just doing what my parents taught me: Do what's right. You can't change a man's view by killing him.'' It happened a week ago in Ann Arbor, Mich., the compelling sideshow to a human carnival. Fifteen Ku Klux Klansmen had come to rally for the cause of hatred. But an estimated 1,000 anti-Klan demonstrators, a multiethnic tidal wave of outraged humanity, went after them. They broke windows, threw rocks and eventually had to be driven back by police using tear gas. Eleven people were arrested; at least two were reported injured. It's a story with multiple morals: that we must defend free speech, especially for those views we abhor; that it is too frighteningly easy for a rational group to become a blood-lusting mob; that supporting a noble cause doesn't give you license to beat a man's head in with a signpost. But the most compelling lesson is embodied by Keshia's choice. She is, in some ways, a standard-issue teen-ager. Eighteen years old, laughs easily, dreams of becoming a forest ranger, wants to go to college but worries that she can't afford it. She says when she rushed at the man in the Confederate flag shirt, ``I wanted to say, `what did I ever do to you? There's no reason to fear me.''' About that man, we know next to nothing at this writing. Not his name, not his hometown, not his Klan affiliation, if any. We do know that that shirt, worn in that place, was provocative. And tha...

The Art of Skill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Art of Skill - Essay Example The camera claimed supreme ability to recreate reality, and accordingly art took different direction. Taking cues from Duchamp and Warhol, the artist Jeffrey Koons developed a style of art that was completely unreliant upon personal skill and instead relied upon reproduction and appropriation. Several reasons for the devaluing of skill in art include the rise of such artists as Koons who intentionally create art that is made without skill. Beech also states that contemporary art itself is involved in taking skills way from artists. While Beech does not view Koons in such a way of devaluing skills, I wish to argue to the contrary in part of my overall argument. Beyond Beech’s argument, I would also like to state that it is part the mass production of various artists in universities that is devaluing skill to an extent. In discussing an exhibit by Jeffrey Koons, the reviewer Lynne Cooke notes that Koons sculptures were â€Å"executed by highly skilled craftsmen in small factories in Italy working, under the supervision of the artist, to two dimensional images which Koons provided as models† (246). Notice that the reviewer states that the craftsmen were â€Å"highly skilled.† This is interesting to note, especially when considering that an artist can achieve fame without being able to create the artwork himself. The people who actually put the physical labor into creating the pieces were simply called craftsmen. In considering this, we can see how actual skill in art is held at no value. The people with the skill who were involved with the project were not artists. They simply handled the technical aspects of the creation of the pieces. Ideologically speaking, it is not necessary in any way for the artist to be skilled in any way in order to be successful. Perhaps it is because Koons i s unskilled that he is has the success to the extent that he does. Koons is by far one of the most

Xerox Corporation Case Study 03066 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Xerox Corporation Case Study 03066 - Essay Example One of the major and unexpected cases was of Xerox Inc., a huge reputed global technology entity. It was reported that the company practiced creative accounting techniques to manipulate its performance during the period from 1997 to 2000. Considering the case, below presented is a critical review of the case via investigating the underlying matter deeply with its circumstances and consequences. The discussion will be an effort of aligning and comparing case evidences with the defined code of conduct in the regard by authorities and authentic literature of the underlying discipline. Being a global entity in document technology business, Xerox inc., is known for quality and innovation in the field (Mui, 2012). Founded in 1906, Xerox is currently working with around 140000 employees, 12000 active patents and reported $19.5 Billion revenue for the year 2014 (Xerox, 2015). The company got entangled in an accounting scandal for the period of 1997-2000 by SEC. At that time, company’s worth was 92,500 employees, 87th rank in Fortune 500 and reported $18.7 billion sales for the year 2000 (Jessup, & Nance, 2011). Known for innovation in document technology, Xerox deals in a variety of products and services related to the digital documentation measures (Xerox, 2014). The portfolio of the company holds mainly ranges of printing devices, scanning machines, communication devices, publishing systems (Jessup, & Nance, 2011) and a wide range of offered outsource services as well (Girod, Alter, Harris and Junglas, 2011). Claiming to be the leader in document technology, Xerox admits the volatile nature of its business due to the association with the ever-changing technology. Girod, Alter, Harris, and Junglas, (2011) suggest that technology businesses work under high pressures of current competitive scenario. Slow paced innovation, technologically outdated products,